Compulsive no more: Clues to what causes compulsive behavior could improve OCD treatments

This article highlights the areas of the brain which lead to OCD behaviors - communication between the striatum, which is related to habits, and the neocortex, the seat of higher functions that can override simpler behaviors, is impaired. What is so promising is that this communication can be enhanced through ERP and possibly one day soon through targeted activation of the brain circuitry in the striatum, which controls compulsive behavior.

By activating a brain circuit that controls compulsive behavior, neuroscientists have shown that they can block a compulsive behavior in mice -- a result that could help researchers develop new treatments for diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome.

By activating a brain circuit that controls compulsive behavior, neuroscientists have shown that they can block a compulsive behavior in mice -- a result that could help researchers develop new treatments for diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome.

By activating a brain circuit that controls compulsive behavior, neuroscientists have shown that they can block a compulsive behavior in mice -- a result that could help researchers develop new treatments for diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette's syndrome.